Tryst
by Rorudesu-chan
Summary: It was a reunion that she did not expect. Not in this place. Or at least, not now.


**"Tryst"**

_rorudesu-chan_

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The souls of the departed gathered in the hall where the goddess Etro, would be greeted. At the end of the hall was a golden throne that rested in the middle of a high, stone platform. From this height, the goddess would sit and welcome the newly deceased who had left the world, either in peace or despair, and have joined the other souls for an eternal rest.

The huge crowd consisted of men and women from all different walks of life. Some of them, while they were still living, did good yet were unhappy for having left the world so soon for they could have done so much more. Meanwhile, some of them, for it could not be helped, did bad during their living years. Some felt guilty for having committed cruel acts that had harmed those around them, yet some felt indifferent towards the kind of lives they had lived and were just simply relieved that it was all over.

But, as much as it was possible that there were also human souls who could not decide well whether they did more of the good or of the bad, there was one human soul in the grand hall who knew quite well that she had done deeds on both sides. Once a daughter of a well-known and powerful family in the Tenebrae kingdom, Stella Nox Fleuret had just recently departed from the world knowing that her last act as a human would help save the lives of those who were still living, and had not yet served their purpose. She left, confident that the man whom she had died protecting would live to serve his purpose for his kingdom and for the world.

Stella wandered through the crowd in her white, cocktail dress that she had worn in a commemoration party when she was still alive. She did not remember putting it on, but only realized that she was already wearing the dress when she had woken up on a bed and found herself alone in a dimly lit room. Then from out of nowhere, she heard a soft voice of a woman, telling her to go to the grand hall where she would wait along with the other souls for the arrival of tonight's guest-of-honor. She obeyed the request of the voice, thinking that there was nothing else for her to do anymore.

The first soul to greet her there and share knowledge that she had already entered the gates of Etro's kingdom was her beloved grandfather who had died of cancer when she was ten years old. Stella's grandfather told her that in this world, the souls of all the members of the Fleuret clan rested peacefully. It was true. Stella saw the souls of her relatives happily mingling with other souls whom she had never come to know during her twenty-two years of existence. As Stella strolled aimlessly, she was fascinated with the appearances of the people whom she passed by. Masculine and feminine. Tall and short. Thin and fat. Light-skinned and dark-skinned. Old and young, and so much more attributes varying in decades and centuries, depending on which year they were born and which year they died. The crowd of souls was indeed filled with faces both unfamiliar and familiar – the faces of the souls who would accompany her for the eternity that lied ahead. Company. There was only one soul who could fill the emptiness of this life's eternity for her. But Stella knew. She had to wait until it was his time. Even if things do change between them, even if he would find company in the presence of another, she would wait. After all, there was nothing else she needed to do in the afterlife. There was nothing else she wanted to do, but that.

The two huge wooden doors of the grand hall parted wide open. Finally, it was time. The souls of those who had been deceased and had entered the goddesses' kingdom a long time ago already knew the procedure. They stepped aside, thousands of them, and created a space in the middle of the hall. Lining the pathway was a long carpet of deep blue, marking the way to the empty throne that faced the open doors from afar. Following the lead of their ancestors, the newcomers gave way was well and dissolved into the crowd of souls where everyone waited for the arrival of the deity.

The loud chatter of the voices of the many souls gathered in the hall, dwindled down into whispers and grumbles. In turn, it became an eerie silence as soon as four creatures clad in thick, black cloaks entered, their faces concealed behind the cloths of their giant hoods. Stella stood somewhere in the middle of the huge crowd situated on the right side facing the throne. She tiptoed herself up on her white, ankle boots and recognized immediately the wraith-like beings that stood at the entrance. They were Etro's guardians and messengers who acted upon on her biddings. They were also once human beings – former l'Cies who did not successfully accomplish the tasks bestowed on them by the goddess. Because they had failed, they were bound to serve and obey Etro forever, so the legend spoke of. Perhaps, the story of a failed l'Cie's destiny was true, thought Stella who wondered at the sight of the four cloaked creatures. She recalled fighting one of their kind once, when she attempted to abandon her mission given by the goddess. But whether the story was real or simply another ridiculous myth, the destiny of the l'Cie who would not be able to fulfill his tasks within the given time, did not bother Stella. She died, completing her task and even doing more than what was asked of her.

Much to her own surprise, Stella decided to step out of the crowd, politely excusing herself as she walked through the souls as though she moved within a mass of living and breathing human spectators. The moment she could no longer sense the presence of anyone around her, she glanced behind and was relieved that she did not cause any disturbance to the welcoming souls. No one noticed her departure, in fact. All eyes were glued to the being that was to grace the walls of this grand hall. They all wanted to see the goddess, especially those who have only heard of her as a character in the myth. But Stella was not interested. She felt like she did not need to see her. She had never seen Etro's face, but the deity had always been there, up in the heavens. Whenever Stella looked above, she could catch a glimpse of her. Because Etro was that light which only a chosen few could see in the sky.

Approaching footsteps echoed from a distance. Stella closed her eyes and kept her back to the crowd. Slowly, she heard murmurs and gasps rising in the air. Then, she heard more footsteps indicating movement in great numbers, but they were moving neither farther nor nearer. She considered looking back to check the scene, but she refused upon feeling a presence drawing close to her. She was dead, yet she felt fear crawling all over here like trails of ants. Something in her was beating fast where her heart should be. The goddess must have noticed her impolite absence from the welcoming crowd and had come to reprimand her behavior personally. Well, she thought, there was only one way to deal with this matter and get over it. Stella turned around, but she did not see any goddess. No lacy gown floating in midair, no wings fluttering about, no magic or spells or charm standing by to be casted upon her. Before her, was a man, a little taller than her, wearing a formal, black tie-less suit she had seen him wear when they first met at a commemoration party. Stella could not move herself at will. She trembled and could only bring herself to speak the word that the great crowd behind him had been to shock to say.

"Noctis."

The man smiled. "What's with that face? I thought you'd be happy to see me again."

Stella took a deep breath. She had been reduced as a soul, but it was something that she had always done in order to collect herself. When it seemed to be working, she took another one before responding, her voice slightly shaking. "You're not supposed to be here. You cannot be _here_. You're not supposed to be—"

"Dead?"

Stella felt tears coming up. She blinked them away from her eyes. His life could not have possibly just end as quickly as that. What about the battle? What about the crystal? What about his purpose?

As if he could read her mind, he calmly said, "I'm not dead yet, Stella. I made a deal with Etro." He paused, recalling his moment of agreement with the goddess. "Etro could have my soul if she promised not to destroy mankind."

"But you did that sacrifice. . .in exchange for your own life?"

"Aren't we seeing things now, eye-to-eye?" He teased. He could not forget how frustrated he was when she sacrificed her life to protect his when it was he should have fought Niveus. Her reaction now seemed to have mirrored his.

"I told you. I'm not yet dead. I'm only in a very deep sleep so I may wake up one day to help her defeat this god called, Buniberzei. It's my duty as a l'Cie. But until that time comes," He gently took her right hand. "My soul wants to stay here."

"Why?" She stared intently into his deep blue eyes.

"Because I want to stay here. Is that enough?"

"But you'll get bored eventually, won't you?"

Noctis chuckled. "You know, it's always been you whom I had the most number of arguments with." He stepped forward and led her to the throne by hand. "But that's one of the things that will keep this place interesting for me." He smiled again and took his rightful seat. "Besides yourself."

"Well then. Be that way, my prince." She smiled as well and curtsied, before she brought her lips on the hand that held hers.

The souls gathered in the grand hall cheered for the arrival, not of their goddess, but of the prince that was destined to protect Etro's crystal. As for the soul of Stella Nox Fleuret, she need not wait any longer for the company of the one whom she longed for. Noctis would return to the world of the living when the time comes that the goddess requires his help. But no one knows when that moment would be. No one knows either when his soul would come back to Etro's kingdom after he fulfills his purpose. No one knows except the goddess of death herself. In the meantime, Stella would savor every moment with her 'sleeping' prince – every moment that they were not able to spend so wisely when she was still alive.

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><p>Author's Note: <em>"Tryst<em>" is the sequel that follows _"Black Snow," _which in turn is preceded by _"In Saintly Arms." _These three are stories that I have collaborated with my fellow FFN author, **Yorumiko**. She has also written a XIII and Versus XIII crossover piece that would complete our stand-alone/mini-series project. It is a sequel set to many years after Noctis is awaken. Thank you for reading, and please don't forget to drop me a review!

x Roru


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